Sunday, January 19th, 2014 Unit of Inquiry 3- Parent Letter Dear Grade 2 Parents, Welcome back and we hope

you had a wonderful break. Please find below the learning objectives along with unit of inquiry details and assessments. Central Idea: The Earth is made of landforms that change over time. Lines of Inquiry: Types of landforms (Form) Features of landforms (Form) Causes of change in landforms (Causation and Change) Transdisciplinary Skills: Research Skills Formulate questions (identifying something one wants or needs to know and asking compelling and relevant questions that can be researched) Observe (using all the senses to notice relevant details) Plan (developing a course of action; writing an outline; devising ways of finding out necessary information) Collect data (gathering information from a variety of first- and second-hand sources such as maps, surveys, direct observation, books, films, people, museums & ICT) Record data (describing and recording observations by drawing, note taking, making charts, tallying, writing statements) Organize data (sorting and categorizing information; arranging into understandable forms such as narrative descriptions, tables, timelines, graphs and diagrams) Interpret data (drawing conclusions from relationships and patterns that emerge from organized data) Present research findings (effectively communicating what has been learned; choosing appropriate media)

Learner Profiles: Knowledgeable, Inquirer Attitudes: Curiosity and Enthusiasm

English Language Arts Outcomes: Reading: Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole. Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels. Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes. Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. Read grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression

Writing Content and Conventions: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others. With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations). Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking Form and use frequently occurring irregular plural nouns (e.g., feet, children, teeth, mice, fish). Form and use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular verbs (e.g., sat, hid, told). Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words. Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known prefix is added to a known word (e.g., happy/unhappy, tell/retell).

Speaking and Listening Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. Mathematics Outcomes: Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve one- and two-step word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem. Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve word problems involving lengths that are given in the same units, e.g., by using drawings (such as drawings of rulers) and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem Tell and write time from analog and digital clocks to the nearest five minutes, using a.m. and p.m. Solve word problems involving dollar bills, quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies, using $ and symbols appropriately. Recognize and draw shapes having specified attributes, such as a given number of angles or a given number of equal faces. Identify triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and cubes. Science Outcomes: Use information from several sources to provide evidence that Earth events can occur quickly or slowly. Compare multiple solutions designed to slow or prevent wind or water from changing the shape of the land. Develop a model to represent the shapes and kinds of land and bodies of water in an area.

Social Studies Outcomes:

Students will understand the interactions and relationship between human societies and their physical environment. Explain the concept of location. Use maps and graphs, tables, and diagrams to read and display geographic information Locate and distinguish between landforms. Describe the influence of landforms and geographic features on human population and cultures.

At the end of this 6-week unit, we will be assessing your child using the following summative assessment: In small groups students will research a particular landform using a wide range of resources. They must identify its features, possible locations globally and how it is changing or how it has changed over a period of time. In their small groups students will build an example of their landform. Afterwards, students will each use their group-research to write a non-chronological report about their chosen landform using technology. Thank you again for your support with your childs learning.

Mrs.Jwad